Thursday, August 12, 2010

Catch Up

In order to prevent killing each other in this teeny condo, the girls and I have been trying to knock out all that Seattle has to offer. The first Thursday of every month, Seattle offers free entrance to a lot of their museums. Since last Thursday was the big day, the girls and I went to MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry). There, they learned all about catching and canning salmon:
DSC_0403
We saw the "glue pot" that is believed to have started the fire that burned nearly all of Seattle to the ground in 1889.
DSC_0408
And Mr. Ibsen gave me a great idea of what I can do with all the girls' old Keds:
DSC_0446

While the museum was interesting, if you are planning a trip to Seattle, I don't think I would put MOHAI at the TOP of your list for sites to see. What I would highly recommend, however, is a picnic at the Washington Arboretum, just outside of MOHAI.
DSC_0413
While we ate, we were visited by some feathered friends.
DSC_0410
And then we did the half mile (or so) walk through the water that is part of the Arboretum. Trees bowed to make an arched path,
DSC_0425
And sites different from ones we are used to, delighted us all.
DSC_0418

DSC_0429

We saw why the Seahawks think they have a leg up on our tailgating. I still think half the fun is walking from one one tailgate to the another and sampling everybody's food. That would be hard to do by boat.
DSC_0428
At the other end of the Arboretum, the girls took a lot of joy from feeding the ducks their left-over grapes. We did bite them in half...and I wasn't sure if grapes were really safe for ducks...but we didn't see any signs of choking.
DSC_0437

On Friday, we met some blog friends at the zoo! Where I managed to find a new giraffe friend to replace my baby in Birmingham:

DSC_0449
And some people friends! This is Andrea and Madeline:
DSC_0465
Andrea is from Trussville, AL (just outside of Birmingham), went to Auburn, has been living in Denver for the past several years and just happened to be in Seattle this summer because of her husband's job. When she saw we were moving here, she kindly offered to be a little Southern comfort to us, and we were all very thankful.

It was probably the coldest and wettest day we had had in Seattle so far. So we didn't see a whole lot of animals, but we did have a lot of fun at the indoor play area. Mary Aplin and Madeline got to run off some energy:
DSC_0452
And can you tell how much fun Pace had learning about the animals from this young zoo worker?
DSC_0461
Pace planted herself in that seat and didn't get up for about 45 minutes, just soaked it all up! Mary Aplin stopped by to see what all the fuss was about...
DSC_0464
...but quickly got distracted by the elephant behind her :) A little more along the lines of her idea of fun.
DSC_0453
I think that Madeline was trying to figure out what kind of species we all were.
DSC_0462
Thanks Andrea and Madeline! We had a lot of fun with y'all!

I didn't have my camera with me for the weekend, but we took the girls for a hike on Big Tree Loop at Tiger Mountain Saturday afternoon and then that night...JEREMIAH AND I WENT ON A DATE!! I have managed to make a Seattle friend (who I want to tell you more about later) and she offered a babysitter name so that Boots' dad didn't have to do it :) Thank you all for the kind babysitter suggestions from the last post. The one we used this weekend is about to get married, so I will definitely be taking you up on your ideas!

I wish so badly I hadn't forgotten my camera on date night. Jeremiah looked really handsome in a coat his Mom gave him for graduation. We went to Palace Kitchen, and if you come for a visit you must go, and if the blackberry cobbler and coconut cream pie are on the menu YOU NEED BOTH!

On Sunday, we went for a run at Greenlake, bought fresh produce/had lunch with our new friends at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market, and then found our church home on Sunday. I really think we found it...more later! Hard to know how our Sunday night was so bad after such an awesome weekend...huh? I thought so.

15 comments:

molly b. said...

so glad you are exploring your new city!

Wanting What I Have said...

I am so glad y'all are having a good time and that you got a date! You'd been on my heart with your post a few days ago.

I don't remember if I left a comment earlier mentioning this or not, but my husband and I listen (via podcast) to Mark Driscoll who preaches at Mars Hill Church. He is AWESOME. No idea if that's where you visited, but I wanted to mention it to you.

Megan said...

Glad you had a great weekend! And I'm glad Boots' Dad wasn't your babysitter! I thought that was such a funny story that I recapped it to my husband who sat there blanked faced at the end not understanding why I thought it was so funny. "Well, they needed a babysitter didn't they?" was his response! I'm pretty sure he would have asked for the same favor!

SleeplessInSeattle said...

Something free for you guys to do tomorrow...

Bausch & Lomb is celebrating the launch of their new multipurpose contact lens solution, Biotrue, by offering FREE admission all-day to the Seattle Space Needle on Friday August 13, 2010. This is a significant savings as tickets are typically $18 for adults & $11 for kids ages 4-11. Just beware that it could definitely be crowded – but may be worth it if you’re always wanted to go but never been able to afford those high-prices to bring your whole family.

Matt, Carrie, Lucy and Molly Allen said...

Looks like ya'll did have a good weekend...and get this!? the girl you met up with, Andrea, and I graduated from high school together in Trussville...small world huh?!

kendallboggs said...

this is gonna be a wonderful adventure for you!!!! Keep writin! I love readin!
hugs and miss you!
kendall (big kendall)

Konie said...

Hey Abby! I'm "checking the weather" online...hehe and peaking at your blog! What a glorious weekend you had! ANd so glad you've met some new friends from right here in Alabama! Hope this one is just as much fun! We'll miss ya'll this weekend:)) Back to the weather!! (rental co. says the chairs for rehearsal dinner OUTSIDE in my backyard, can't get wet......) love ya'll:))

Gail said...

Hi Abby, Great post! It seems everything is coming together for Y'ALL!!! Finding a church home is the best news! Great place to start. Glad you had someone from "home" to visit with, too! God is Good!!!! Enjoy this weekend. :O)

mitzi said...

Abby,
All sounds wonderful. I love your attitude. Has Jeremiah started his program? Glad you have found friends, although I was not worried about you. Got your book club up and running yet? Enjoy all your pictures and words.

Anonymous said...

love your blog but need tell you that the stadium you show is not the seahawk's.. but rather U of Washington's... just thought you'd like to know..

Anonymous said...

akay she said with a whisper-- next time you beach comb -this is a must -more of a whisper-- look for sea glass those bits of ocean shell tumbled pieces -- they do not look like broken bottles -- frosted bits of rocks perhaps-- but sea glass is considered quite valuable among those that collect it -- and wow, one can only speculate how long it has been tumbled about, also, if you look up Japanese glass fishing net floats to see these green orbs you may find one washed up on shore and on a sad note who knows what else you may find as often the ships with those semi- like containers get washed over board the contents spill out and wash ashore a shoe or two or one of those rubber ducks that escaped years ago - imagine a little rubber duck on a sole journey circumnavigating the globe- google floating mass of garbage in the ocean the size of texas

Andrea said...

It sounds like the rest of the weekend was great. We had so much fun with y'all at the Zoo! I loved all of the pictures of the girls!

andi said...

Hey girl! :) Love the pictures of the Zoo fun! Much activity...love getting to keep up with you all the way out there! Have fun! So glad you had a date night! I bet you had a great time. Can't wait to hear about church!

Jennifer Todd said...

Abby,
I know you've heard it before, BUT... enjoy the adventure of Seattle. It is easier said that done, but this is such an incredible opportunity for y'all! Congrats on finding a place to worship God that has blessed your family in so many ways. And share with Jeremiah that your family is very much in the thoughts and prayers of many many back in Dothan, AL. We love and care more that you can imagine.
Your Friend,
Jennifer Todd

Melvyn said...

Oh my god, there is really much worthwhile data in this post!
medic alert bracelets | Car Insurance Deductible | worker compensation california